in sickness and in health
by purplepotatopig
Summary: jo and zane still haven't talked after the astraeous announcement, and my cold-congested brain came up with this...
1. Chapter 1

_as ever, i do not own eureka, or any of its characters - i am but a fan..._

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><p><em><strong>in sickness and in health<strong>_

"Morning Jo" said Sheriff Carter.

Jo mumbled a response as she poured herself some coffee in Carter's kitchen. Across her, Carter had a worried look on his face. Judging from the dark circles under her eyes, she hasn't been getting much sleep.

"You ok Jo?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied as she took a sip of coffee. "I'm peachy." Of course Carter knew she was lying. It was apparent to anyone who bothered to notice that all was not well with her and Zane.

After the Astraeous announcement, it went from awkward to almost cold. Zane was expectedly upset when he found out she withdrew, but she also refused to talk about it beyond "You're going to Titan. It's what you want isn't it? So there shouldn't be a problem with me not going!"

Jo knew she was being a coward by avoiding talking to Zane. Just as she was a coward indulging in passionate goodbyes when Zane got his pardon, rather than telling him how she really felt.

She was just scared shitless. Almost nothing could ever scare Jo Lupo. Except this particular Zane Donovan, whose unwavering blue eyes can have her running in the opposite direction. Especially when he looks at her as if he…

Carter's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Um, S.A.R.A.H. said Zane was outside the bunker last night."

"What?"

"That's correct Sheriff. We don't know how long Mr. Donovan was outside though…"

"We?" asked Jo

"Me and Andy" replied S.A.R.A.H as if it were obvious. "We sensed a presence outside last night, and once we'd determined it was Mr. Donovan, we waited for him to request entry. We were unsure whether he wanted to see the Sheriff or you, Jo, but per our calculations, it was a 99% chance that he was here to see you, Jo."

"But he just sat there on his bike, not moving or saying anything. And it was raining hard too last night. So finally Andy went out to talk to Zane, but he was gone when Andy got outside."

"Oh." Jo's shoulders slumped as she put down her mug on the kitchen counter.

"Guess you're not the only coward in the relationship, huh?" Carter, more perceptive than some people give him credit for, scored a double bulls-eye.

"Relationship? Zane and I don't have a rela…" Jo stammered defensively.

"Aw c'mon, Jo. Man up!" then changed his pronoun as Jo's eyebrows shot up "Ok, woman up…" then shook his head because it didn't sound right. "Just suck it up and admit it. You and this Zane are in a relationship. However you define it, it's definitely a relationship. And now it seems you're both running away from it."

His eyes and his voice both softened "Although judging from his actions last night, he's at least trying to reach out. You may want to close the gap between the two of you"

Jo put her hands around her mug, as if she needed to anchor herself on something. She looked at her friend with a pained expression "Tell me what to do Jack. I don't want to lose him but I'm afraid I might have already"

She looked down at her hands clutching her mug so tightly. She knew she looked as desperate as she felt. "Maybe I should have taken your advice and just let things be. But I didn't and now it may be too late…"

Carter tried to make light of the situation. He didn't like seeing Jo like this. "I'm not so surprised you didn't take my Beatles-inspired advice. But it's never too late Jo." He crossed over to where she was and gave her a brotherly hug.

He pulled away and with his hands on her shoulders, stared her down "Now go talk to Zane before I'm forced to take on drastic measures."

Jo gave Carter a quick kiss on the cheeks and replied in her best Zoe-like voice "Yes, Dad!"

As she headed for the door of the bunker, Carter muttered under his breath "I swear I will lock those two up if they still don't get this right."


	2. Chapter 2

Jo went straight to Zane's lab when she got to GD. But he wasn't there. She asked Parrish about him, and ignored his sarcasm when he replied, "No, your precious asterisk has not reported for work yet." But looking at Jo and the concern on her face, he grumbled "But I'll let him know you're looking for him when he gets here."

"Thanks" was Jo's grateful reply.

By lunchtime and still no Zane sighting in GD, Jo was beginning to worry. She scanned her calendar for any Astraeous-related activities scheduled for the crew today, but there was none.

Swallowing her pride, she dialed Zane's number but it just kept ringing.

"Strange" she thought. She was also a little afraid that Zane might have left Eureka, but shook her head as if to let go of that thought. "He is not about to turn his back on Titan" she thought…and guiltily added "and on me."

Resolving to get to the bottom of this, she decided to head out to his house.

When she got there, everything seemed to be normal. His bike was out front where it usually is. The blinds on the windows were closed as they usually are. When she reached the front door, she hesitated only for a second before knocking. When she didn't get an answer, she reached for the doorknob and wondered what booby trap he might have set up for any intruder. "I guess I'll find out," she thought as she closed her eyes and turned the knob.

She was surprised it wasn't locked, and no booby trap greeted her. "Now that's highly unusual" she thought and drew out her gun, softly making her way into the living room.

"Achoo!" A giant sneeze echoed from the bedroom.

Jo turned sharply to the direction of the sound. "Achoo!" she heard it again. She put her gun back in its holster as she crossed the living room and gently pushed open the bedroom door.

"Achoo! Achoo!" She could see Zane's head bob up from the sheets with every violent sneeze.

She went to his bedside and felt his forehead. He was burning with fever. Remembering S.A.R.A.H.'s words earlier that Zane had let himself get caught in last night's rain, Jo wasn't surprised to find him this sick. What surprised her was that Zane didn't even flinch or react to her hand on his forehead, or her mere presence in his home. He just kept his eyes closed. He must really be sick.

She went to the bathroom and looked through his medicine cabinet. Finding what she was looking for, she went back to Zane with a glass of water.

"Zane" she said softly. She held out the tablets in the palm of her hand. "Here, take these. It'll make you feel better"

He opened his eyes, but didn't look at her. He just looked at the medicine in her hands and took them with the glass of water she gave. He handed her back the glass and closed his eyes once again as he sank down on the pillows.

Jo noticed that he was also slightly shivering under the sheets. Jo took off her suit jacket and rolled up her sleeves. She went into the bathroom again and came out with a small towel and a small basin of water.

She knelt beside his bed and started wiping his face. She worked her way down to his neck then wordlessly pulled up his perspiration-soaked shirt over his head and continued to rub the cloth gently across his chest and on his arms. She just as gently but strongly pushed him to his side so she could give the same care to his back. As she pulled him back, she hesitated slightly at his boxers. Seeing they were just as soaked with perspiration as his shirt, she decided to deal with it last. She rubbed both legs down to his feet with the cloth. And when she was done, she crossed over to his closet and pulled out a new shirt and a new pair of boxers. She changed him quickly, then bundled up the damp blanket and replaced it with a new one. She rearranged the pillows on his head to make him more comfortable. Neither of them had said a word all this time, but they both knew that each one was highly aware of the other.

She went to the kitchen to make some tea, both for him and herself. She realized it was past lunch already and she hasn't had anything to eat since breakfast.

When she got back to Zane's room with the tea, he was fast asleep, and snoring.

She went back to the kitchen and set aside the tea for later. After rummaging through Zane's kitchen, she decided to make a quick run to Café Diem for food and supplies. She had wanted to make Zane some of her mom's chicken soup, her staple food for sick days.

On her way back, she also managed to call her second-in-command and told him she's talking the rest of the day, and probably the next few days off. Only in a catastrophic emergency was he allowed to call her, and he knew better than to ask why.

Her last call was to Carter to let him know where she will be for the next day or so. He seemed glad to hear that she was taking care of a sick Zane.

When she got back to Zane's, he was still fast asleep, except for the occasional sneezing and sniffling. She checked on his temperature and although he still had a fever, at least it wasn't as high as it was earlier.

She had a quick bite in the kitchen, then started cooking her mother's recipe for chicken soup. She remembered how she always felt better when her mom made this on days when she wasn't feeling well. She missed her mom and vowed to herself that someday she will tell Zane about her. Although she will never have the opportunity to meet him, she knew that her mom would have loved Zane.

When she was done, she felt the need to shower. Zane was still asleep but would she still have time to run over to S.A.R.A.H for a change of clothes? She considered this as she grabbed her keys from the counter, then decided otherwise when she heard a low groan from the bedroom.

She entered and sat on one side of the bed and put her hand over his. "Zane?"

No answer, but she knew he was awake.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

He nodded his head then groaned again and started shaking his head instead.

"That's to be expected. You still have a fever. Are you hungry? Would you like some soup?"

With a soft nod as his reply, Jo went back to the kitchen to get some of her freshly made soup. She added a few crackers to it on the side and put in on tray and carried it to Zane's bedside. Again taking her spot on one side of the bed, she helped him prop himself up with the pillows, and fed him some soup.

This time, he had his eyes open and other than looking glazed, he was looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher. Jo found herself unable to look him straight in the eyes, and just concentrated on feeding him soup.

When he'd had enough, she took a napkin to wipe his mouth. He reached out and held her hand, poised over his mouth. He didn't say anything but almost willed her to look at him. When she finally did, he looked as if he was searching her face for something, then closed his eyes again and let go of her hand.

Jo was not sure what had just happened, but felt the need to comfort and reassure him. She leaned over and kissed his forehead tenderly. "Just rest some more Zane. I'll be here when you wake up."

She picked up the tray and went out of the room. Had she looked back, she would have seen the smile of satisfaction on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

As night fell, Jo didn't have the chance to go out anymore and get a change of clothes, so she decided to borrow some of Zane's instead. After she had thrown her clothes in the washer, she padded around his apartment in one of his shirts and his boxers. She actually felt quiet comfortable in his clothes, and somewhat…intimate.

In the living room, she noticed a stack of cardboard boxes, yet to be assembled. Was this for Astraeous, or for leaving Eureka, she wondered. In any case, he hasn't started packing anything yet.

She went to the door to lock up then suddenly realized she needed to activate the alarms for the night. She looked at the control panel and wondered what Zane's code would have been? She was likewise tempted to just sleep on the couch with her gun, not that Eureka was a dangerous place to be in, her instincts were just naturally protective.

She looked at the control panel again, and remembered one of the exercises she and Zane went through while training for the mission.

"If in any case you would need to enter a code and the person who originally inputted the code is not around…" Zane was telling her.

"Zane, this feels illegal." Jo protested. "Is this really necessary?"

"Jo, do this only in case of emergency." He replied deadpan. "When it's a matter of life and death."

"I feel like you're teaching me the basics of hacking" she pouted.

At her reaction, he laughed "Am I? Seriously, Jo. You never know when this skill would come in handy. Whether in the mission or some disaster in GD, at least you have an idea how to go about this."

"Ummm, I'd rather leave all this law-breaking stuff to you Zane." As soon as she said it, she was worried that Zane might take offense.

He hadn't. Instead he leaned in closer and said in a low, sexy voice, "It's not as if you haven't broken a few laws yourself Jojo"

"I know! Let's not add to it!" she replied as she rolled her eyes.

Jo smiled at that memory. Looking at the control panel again, she thought to herself, could it be? Could Zane's password theory hold true even for himself?

Well, with this particular alarm model, she knew she had three tries to punch in a 4-digit code before the alarms would go off and wake up the neighborhood. Unless, of course, Zane modified it then she would have but one, or two chances at the most.

She held her breath and punched in a 4-digit code that spelled out L-U-P-O. The light on the alarm started blinking red, which she knew meant she entered the wrong code. She tried not to be disappointed that she didn't get it right the first time, but in truth she was. Because Zane's theory was that people's code were usually about the most important person in their lives. And it turned out, she wasn't…

Then she heard Zane's voice in her head once more "C'mon, you can do this Jojo"

Dare she risk it? She felt her heart stop when she punched in a new 4-digit code J-O-J-O. She couldn't believe her eyes when the blinking light turned green and a notice on the control pad said alarm activated.

She blinked back tears and put a hand to her mouth. She almost squealed in delight. She might as well have set the alarm off if she was going to wake up the neighborhood anyway with the shriek she was suppressing.

And just like the day that Zane found her prancing in her pjs after getting her test results, here she was dancing in Zane's living room, in Zane's shirt and boxers, thrilled at the knowledge that she still had her shot at a happy ending.


	4. Chapter 4

When Zane woke up the following day, he awoke to the pleasant sight of having Jo beside him in bed. Mornings like this always took his breath away, and he always wondered what he did right to deserve this amazing creature at his bedside. He reached out to pull back the curtain of hair that covered part of her face. He wanted to see all of her. He had missed her after all.

She stirred from her sleep and found herself waking up to a pair of blue eyes staring at her.

"What are you doing here Jo?" he asked softly.

She gasped, "He speaks!"

He gave her a weak smile.

She reached over and felt his forehead. "I think it's obvious. You were sick and somebody needed to take care of you."

"And you just jumped at the chance to give me a sponge bath, huh" he said with a naughty grin

Instead of rolling her eyes, Jo decided to play along with Zane. She was in such a good mood anyway. "Of course I did, silly. I definitely didn't want anyone else to have the pleasure."

He chuckled, enjoying her unexpected response.

Jo then raised her arms over her head and stretched, letting Zane see for the first time that she was wearing his clothes, and nothing else underneath. His intake of breath and the look of desire in his eyes were just the reaction she was expecting of course.

But Zane seemed to have other things in mind. He put his hands under his head, in an attempt to stop them from grabbing Jo. He wanted to talk first. The fun stuff can wait, just a little while longer.

"Thank you Jojo."

"Wait, did I hear you right? You must still be sick." she put her hand on his forehead again.

"Very funny Lupo. You said it was obvious why you were here. Actually what's obvious to me, is that you care."

"I think I need to get Allison here. You don't have a fever anymore but you seem to be hallucinating…"

"Come off it, Jo." His voice was still gruff from sickness, but it didn't have the usual snark or bite to it. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't. Just admit it, for once. Say it out loud."

As if he couldn't help himself, he reached out and tenderly traced one side of her face. "I can see it, I can feel it…" he coaxed "but I need to hear you say it…"

"What? That I love you?" she said in a low voice, as she turned slightly and kissed his fingers.

His hand stilled and he paused for a moment. His eyes widened then crinkled as he smiled "Ok. I wasn't quite prepared for that…but not opposed to it."

"I love you Zane." Jo repeated, finally glad she was able to say it.

"Happy now?" she asked, when he didn't say anything.

"Not quite…"

"What now?" she thought.

"What I don't understand is, if you love me as much as I suspect you do, why the hell are you letting me go 6 months and a billion light years away from you!"

Jo sighed. "Because that's what you want. It's your dream. And when you love someone, you want them to be happy. So if going to Titan means that much to you, I will not stop you."

"Is that also why you haven't asked me to stay, after the pardon came through?"

"Zane, whether you stay or leave Eureka, do what you think is best for you. Just because I'm letting you go doesn't mean I love you any less."

Zane pinched himself and flinched. "What the hell are you doing Zane?" Jo asked, confused.

Zane smiled "Just wanted to make sure I'm not dreaming or hallucinating any of this."

Jo giggled at that. Zane continued to grin broadly.

"Thank you Jojo."

"Again? For what? Are you sure you're not sick anymore?"

He answered tenderly "For loving me the way you do."

Jo just beamed.

"And since my happiness seems to be your priority…"

Zane turned and opened the drawer to his bedside table and took out a familiar object. As it caught the light and glistened, Jo gasped.

Zane took her hand and placed the ring on her finger.

"This isn't a proposal…yet."

"I had a big, grand, romantic one planned for Titan, but now I have to scrap that…and someone beat me to the Sheriff's office so I definitely won't do a repeat of that…so while I'm planning it out, and believe me Josephina, I'm going to come up with a proposal that will blow your socks off…

I want you to wear this while I'm away. I want everyone to know you're mine."

Dammit! Zane has once again managed to render her speechless. Jo just looked at him, with her mouth open. She tried to speak but found herself frozen once more in surprise. "Oh God!' she thought, panicked "You're not supposed to freeze up again! Get it together Lupo!"

As if reading her thoughts, Zane chuckled "Don't worry Jo. I won't run away this time. Breathe. Take your time. I know the answer anyway," he said smugly, as he toyed and admired his grandmother's ring on her finger, just where it should be.

Jo finally found her voice "Why you…"


End file.
